Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday urged his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to hold direct talks, and said that Ukraine could not afford to simply wait for the Trump administration to refocus on the war while Washington remains heavily engaged in the conflict with Iran.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he is ready to hold direct talks with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in order to bring the war to an end.

I am ready for direct talks with Putin to bring this war to an end, rather than waiting for when all will resolve every conflict in the world before our turn finally comes,"…